The average business is projected to spend 22% more on technology infrastructure, staff, systems, and upgrades this year. Part of that expense will be replacing old equipment with new systems. Unfortunately, discarding old electronic equipment that becomes part of a landfill is a growing e-waste problem.
Key Takeaways
- Businesses are projected to spend 22% more on technology infrastructure this year, making strategic IT asset management more important than ever as organizations look to maximize the value of every dollar invested in hardware and systems.
- Global e-waste reached 54 million metric tons in 2019 and is growing at a pace that will see it double within 16 years, making responsible disposal and circular economy practices a business imperative rather than an optional sustainability gesture.
- Technology should never be treated as a one-time investment. The right IT partner helps businesses extract value from assets across their full lifecycle through reuse, remarketing, asset refreshes, and end-of-lease returns rather than defaulting to disposal.
- For decommissioned assets with remaining market value, options including outright purchase, consignment, and trade-in for future credit turn retired hardware into capital that can be reinvested into the next infrastructure cycle.
- Assets with no recoverable value should always be recycled responsibly through EPA-compliant processes rather than discarded in landfills, ensuring hazardous materials are handled safely and businesses remain environmentally accountable.
The Problem with E-Waste
Global e-waste reached 54 million metric tons in 2019, according to the United Nations, growing by 21% between 2014 and 2019, a pace that leads to e-waste doubling in 16 years. Fortunately, IT providers like Inteleca have taken note and offer sustainable options for clients to repurpose, reuse, recycle, re-sell or dispose of older equipment in an eco-conscious way.
How IT Partners Can Provide Solutions
That’s one of the reasons Inteleca, a global provider of IT Business Solutions, rebranded our tagline to, “Make the Most of IT.” We want companies to know technology shouldn’t be a one-time investment. These assets can be leveraged to deliver many more benefits over time with the right IT partner.
Inteleca helps strategically source and install businesses enterprise systems using both legacy and new equipment, providing seamless integration with a variety of products and services, including IT installation, hardware, security, and more. We also practice sustainable business principles and offer clients repurposing options at the end of a product’s lifecycle.
Solutions include equipment retirement plans, asset refreshes, equipment reuse programs, inventory management programs, and end-of-lease returns. For decommissioned assets, Inteleca offers a variety of resale solutions: outright purchase, consignment, trade-in for future credit, or a combination of these approaches. For assets that have no recoverable value, we offer responsible recycling solutions according to EPA guidelines.
A Leader in the “Circular Economy”
“Inteleca is an IT partner that helps companies create an infrastructure that delivers seamless, secure functionality both internally and externally. Inteleca’s products and services demonstrate that IT can continually contribute to a company’s specific goals and objectives. We leverage these assets to deliver more value over time,” said Paul Hogg, CEO of Inteleca.
We also offers a variety of IT products, including servers, switchers, transceivers, servers, cables, and services including:
- Network & Design
- Optical Networking Design
- Data Center
- IT Infrastructure & Architecture
- Equipment Configuration & Installation
- Network Security
- IT Maintenance & Support
- IT Asset Lifecycle Management
About Inteleca
The company is an industry leader in all aspects of the secondary IT hardware market, including Inteleca-certified, pre-owned networking hardware, as well as the acquisition of decommissioned IT hardware as a part of its ITAD services. Inteleca is an integral part of a global partner network that facilitates equipment delivery worldwide. Inteleca spends every day thinking about the full lifecycle management of IT assets. For more information, visit www.inteleca.com.
FAQs
Why is e-waste a growing concern for businesses and what can they do about it?
E-waste is growing at a pace that will see global volumes double within 16 years, driven in large part by businesses replacing equipment on accelerating refresh cycles without adequate plans for responsible disposal. Electronics contain hazardous materials that contaminate soil and water when landfilled, and the US recycles only a fraction of the e-waste it generates annually. Businesses can address their contribution directly by implementing formal IT asset lifecycle management that prioritizes reuse and remarketing before recycling, and by partnering with a certified ITAD provider that holds R2v3 and ISO 14001 certifications as verification of genuine environmental responsibility rather than just a policy statement.
What is the most sustainable way to dispose of business computers?
The most sustainable way to dispose of business computers is to follow a hierarchy that prioritizes reuse before recycling and recycling before disposal. Computers still functional for your business can be redeployed internally in less demanding roles, while those no longer needed internally can be refurbished and remarketed through the secondary market to organizations that can still put them to good use, extending the hardware lifecycle and eliminating the environmental cost of manufacturing a replacement unit entirely. Donation to schools and nonprofits is another high-impact option for functional devices. When hardware is genuinely beyond reuse, working with a certified ITAD provider that holds R2v3 and ISO 14001 certifications ensures components are recycled in compliance with EPA standards rather than contributing to the toxic waste stream that improperly landfilled electronics create.
How can my business reduce its e-waste footprint?
Reducing your business’s e-waste footprint starts with extending the useful life of existing hardware through proactive IT maintenance, sourcing refurbished equipment from the secondary market rather than defaulting to new purchases, and implementing a formal asset lifecycle management strategy that plans for responsible disposition from the moment hardware is acquired. When devices reach end of life, routing them through a certified ITAD process ensures every asset is assessed for its highest remaining value before recycling is considered, keeping functional hardware in active use and hazardous materials out of landfills. Businesses that document these practices through certifications like ISO 14001 and track disposition outcomes over time build a credible, measurable sustainability record that supports ESG reporting and demonstrates genuine environmental accountability to customers, investors, and stakeholders.
